PENNSYLVANIA — Ahead of Donald Trump’s stop in Pennsylvania this week, here’s what you need to know about Trump’s relationship with Connecticut hedge fund executive and mega-millionaire David McCormick:
- Despite McCormick aggressively seeking the former president’s endorsement during his 2022 campaign, Trump sank McCormick’s campaign when he endorsed Dr. Oz and called McCormick the “candidate of special interests and globalists” who “managed money for communist China.”
- In a recent podcast interview, McCormick himself admitted that Trump’s opposition hurt his campaign. And according to previous reporting, sharing a ballot with Trump was a concern for David McCormick as he weighed a Senate bid.
WATCH: TRUMP SLAMS MCCORMICK AS THE “CANDIDATE OF SPECIAL INTERESTS AND GLOBALISTS”
Pennsylvania Democratic Party spokesperson TaNisha Cameron issued the following statement:
“David McCormick has a long record of selling out American workers to China, supporting a dangerous anti-choice agenda, and lying about living in Pennsylvania. Even former President Trump bragged that David McCormick’s record of prioritizing the ultra-wealthy and big corporations at the expense of working families is a non-starter with Pennsylvania voters.”
Here’s What to Know About David McCormick:
McCormick’s Disqualifying Record on China:
- David McCormick increased investments in China by 108,000% as CEO of Bridgewater, including companies blacklisted by the U.S. government.
- McCormick increased investments in China from $1.6 million to over $1.77 billion in less than five years.
- McCormick invested in blacklisted Chinese companies with ties to human rights violations and the Chinese military.
- McCormick made his fortune by investing in China while cutting jobs here in Pennsylvania.
- As CEO of Bridgewater, McCormick managed billions of dollars for the Chinese government, making the firm one of the largest foreign money managers in China.
- As CEO of FreeMarkets, McCormick cut jobs in Pittsburgh and opened a new office in China.
- As Treasury Under Secretary for International Affairs in the Bush administration, McCormick said “When China succeeds, the United States succeeds.”
- McCormick: “When China succeeds, the United States succeeds…We owe much of the strength and vitality of our economic relationship today to the remarkable success of China’s economic development over the last three decades …No one here should have any doubt about our admiration for what China has achieved.”
- McCormick opposed initiatives aimed at keeping manufacturing jobs here in America.
- McCormick repeatedly criticized “Buy American” provisions and refused to say he supported Trump’s tariffs on China.
- McCormick bragged about his work in China.
- When asked if he regretted any of his investments, McCormick replied that he was actually “blessed” by China.
McCormick’s Support For a Dangerous Anti-Choice Agenda
- When asked directly in a debate last year whether he believed there should be exceptions for abortion in the cases of rape, incest, or life of the mother, McCormick responded only “in the very rare instances there should be exceptions for the life of the mother.”
- Axios: “David McCormick…said during a debate in Harrisburg last month he’s fully against all scenarios involving abortion, apart from ‘in the very rare instances there should be exceptions for the life of the mother.’”
- HuffPost: “McCormick has said that life begins at conception and that he does not support exceptions in abortion laws for rape or incest.”
- HuffPost: “McCormick said in a May 2022 debate with Oz that he supports banning abortion with an exception only when the pregnant person’s life is in danger, and not in cases of rape or incest.”
- WESA: There was no “pushback from the McCormick campaign.”
- McCormick repeatedly praised the leaked Supreme Court opinion draft overturning Roe as a “huge victory” and “huge step forward.”
- McCormick’s 2022 campaign website said he was “staunchly pro-life.”
McCormick is Lying About Living in Pennsylvania
- AP: David McCormick is lying about living in Pennsylvania.“‘I live in Pennsylvania,’ McCormick said” […] “In reality, he’s living in a $16 million mansion in Westport on Connecticut’s “Gold Coast.”
- McCormick uses his Connecticut address in property documents and as his mailing address.
- McCormick has never taken a homestead exemption on the property he owns in Pittsburgh and has been delinquent on property taxes for two years running.
- McCormick has been chartering private planes to fly to Pennsylvania for events from his multi-million dollar mansion in his home state of Connecticut.
- McCormick spent more than $37,000 on private plane travel in just the first three months of his Senate campaign.
- McCormick can’t give a straight answer on how much time he spends in Pennsylvania.
- In October on ABC 27:
- ABC 27’s James Crummel: “How many days in the past year have you lived here in Pennsylvania.”
- McCormick: “Well, listen…”
- In January on WGAL:
- WGAL’s Barbara Barr: “Can you tell us how many days you lived in Pennsylvania last year versus how many in Connecticut?”
- McCormick: “You know, like, I…listen…I…I”
- In January on WTAE:
- When asked again if he spends most of his home time in Pennsylvania, a campaign aide interjected, “He answered the question.” McCormick added, “Thank you,” and concluded the interview.
McCormick’s is Out for Himself and his Wealthy Friends, Not Pennsylvanians
- McCormick said he wanted to “roll back” the Inflation Reduction Act, which allows Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices for seniors.
- McCormick: “What happened under Biden with these huge, enormous pieces of legislation – the Inflation Reduction Act […] We got to roll that back.” [John Fredericks Radio Show, 10/3/23; 41:21]
- McCormick said his first priority if elected Senator of Pennsylvania would be to repeal the bipartisan infrastructure law, killing thousands of good-paying jobs in Pennsylvania that the law is projected to create for years to come.
- “Dave McCormick, a wealthy former hedge fund manager and leading Republican candidate for Senate in Pennsylvania, would vote to repeal President Joe Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure bill, he said on a pro-Trump radio show in mid-November.” [Huffpost, 1/18/24]
- McCormick: “The number one thing you do with a Senate Majority and a House Majority and a Republican president in the White House, is you roll back […] the infrastructure bill.” [John Fredericks Radio Show, 11/16/23; 7:34]
- He doubled down on his opposition to the infrastructure law when given the chance to walk it back.
- McCormick has supported putting Social Security and Medicare on the chopping block.
- McCormick: “So the path through this is […] a tightening of the belt […] And as I said, there’s entitlements and a number of other drivers of that.” [John Fredericks Radio Show, 11/16/23; 4:40]
- McCormick supports the disastrous 2017 corporate tax giveaway that raised taxes for over 375,000 Pennsylvania families.
- McCormick bragged to a New Hampshire crowd of Ivy League business students that he is only “spending half [his] time in Pennsylvania” and the other half with “really wealthy people.”
- McCormick: “So I’m spending half my time with donors, essentially. It’s gonna be the most expensive race in the country – I believe high profile. I’m nationalizing the race. If you vote for me, you’re voting for winning the Senate, blah, blah, blah. So, I’m everywhere across the country, mostly with really wealthy people, where you will all be in 20 years, or many of you. And I’m also spending half my time in Pennsylvania, where the median income is $55,000 to $60,000.” [Heartland Signal, 1/23/24]
- McCormick is skimping on paying taxes on millions of dollars he has put in a “dynasty trust” used by the ultra-wealthy to pass down their wealth.
- “Somewhere between $1.1 million and $2.25 million are held in an account called ‘David H McCormick 2020 Dynasty Trust.’ A dynasty trust is essentially a pot of money often used by the ultra-rich to pass wealth down to future generations without incurring certain wealth taxes.” [Business Insider, 2/5/24]
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